Wrong Change In My Favour

[ukrules]

I went and did a little shopping in Central today and stopped off at a well known western bar for some food on the way back.

Once I'd finished I held the 'check' along with a 500 Baht note in my hand for at least a couple of minutes before the waitress arrived, I paid her and waited for my change.

When my change arrived there was about 560 Baht there, I was expecting about 65 which I was going to just leave as the tip.

I told her that maybe she had made a mistake and she should check, giving her a chance to rectify the problem, after all I have a wallet stuffed with money and a good sense of fair play.

They came back and said 'what is the problem', I said I paid with a 500 Baht note, and you have given me more back than I paid.

Now I know for sure that I paid with a 500 as I like to keep at least one in my wallet at all times and I had two at this point, so I used one of them instead of one of the thousands.

They went away for about 5-10 minutes and returned saying I must have paid with a 1000 Baht note and I am mistaken. So I said 'well, ok then', I picked up the 500 and left the rest as a tip.

I tried my best but they were having none of it. I suspect this could be down to 'face' and admitting making a mistake, however when they count the checkout receipts in this establishment they will definitely be down 500 tonight despite my best efforts.

Edited October 31, 2010 by ukrules

[gotlost]

You did the correct thing. Their loss and your gain.

[Jingthing]

Sometimes the correct thing to do in Thailand is to never openly suggest any Thai has made any mistake.

[smokie36]

I didn't when reception staff handed me back 2000 Baht extra deposit. About time the pendulum swung I reckon!

[ukrules]

I don't think the mistake would have been made by the waitress, they don't handle cash at all from what I understand, they just deliver the 'payment wallet' to the cashier, the mistake would have been made by the cashier.

I'm a little cynical sometimes, but now I've pointed this mistake out and they're aware of it I'll bet that it will somehow be corrected before the final cashing up is done and all will be well. I just wonder who's going to pay for it, I suspect it won't be any of the staff.

Edited October 31, 2010 by ukrules

[onnut]

In these bars, the staff have to pay for there mistakes! thats an expensive one for her. its funny, coz if a customers had said that to me I would have gone and taken the money and said thanks

[blackdug]

happens all the time ....this is a common thing in thailand and it is a running joke in my family about their overpayment when you settle up a bill......last holiday my 1 month motor cycle hire bill came to 700 bhat... when i finally worked it all out it took me 15 minutes to get the hirer (who is a friend)to understand that i still owed her 2300 bhat ...... ..what a kiss i got of her for my honesty.........the lass works to hard for a living for me to even think of pulling a flanker on her but i still can,t understand how she could not notice such a huge potential loss..........

[Ruperts]

The opposite happened to me. I accidently gave a tuktuk driver 1000 thinking it was 100 (noticed later when looking for the 1000 in my wallet). He noticed and asked me to confirm how much change I wanted. Thinking I'd given him 100 baht and the fare was 50baht, naturally, I replied "50baht". So he gave me 50baht. Clearly that was all the justification he needed.

[Johpa]

I was once given far too much money at a remote branch of Bangkok Bank. Being honest I tried to note the error that was greatly in my favor and was rewarded by anger as the loss of face created was more important than the money. I learned my lesson that time.

[rocketmanbkk]

Getting off the subject a little, when I was a little 'greener' I used to change a few hundred ponuds at LHR (yes, bad move I know). Anyways, one time I gave over about £200 and the lady started couting 1000 baht notes. I watched with a confused look. At the time the exchange rate was about 62 THB to the GBP. She then started to count them out loud for me as I watched. She reached 20,000 and I kept looking (in confusion). She then asked me to sign the form and I asked was she sure, she said yep, all correct. Well, what could I do, I said OK, and walked away. I think she gave me nearly double what I should have received. I gave her the opportunity but she told me that she was correct!.

No, I never change money at LHR anymore!!

[britmaveric]

Bought 600bht topoff time at 711 and well the lad almost gave me back 900bht (gave him 1000bht) until I pointed out his error. I said you do not want to do that or you will be crying later. Funny enough the sod did not even thank me.

Edited October 31, 2010 by britmaveric

[Jimi007]

Most shops use a calculator to do the simplest transactions. I don't think mathematics is one of their strong subjects here in Thailand...

[britmaveric]

In these bars, the staff have to pay for there mistakes! thats an expensive one for her. its funny, coz if a customers had said that to me I would have gone and taken the money and said thanks

Or could have returned and gave the nice lady the same tip back. Then you would have been equally a hero.

[Genericnic]

Most shops use a calculator to do the simplest transactions. I don't think mathematics is one of their strong subjects here in Thailand...

Sort of like here in the U.S.

David

[Beetlejuice]

I don't think the mistake would have been made by the waitress, they don't handle cash at all from what I understand, they just deliver the 'payment wallet' to the cashier, the mistake would have been made by the cashier.

I'm a little cynical sometimes, but now I've pointed this mistake out and they're aware of it I'll bet that it will somehow be corrected before the final cashing up is done and all will be well. I just wonder who's going to pay for it, I suspect it won't be any of the staff.

Think of it this way; you brought the error to their attention and gave them a chance to rectify it. You done the right thing, that`s all that counts. In my book you`re a swell guy.

An honest farang customer in Thailand that concluded with him being up on the deal. Must be a first here in this land where the attitude is the farang should always pay more. Just put in down to that you gained something back for all the times you have been over charged in this country, you owe nobody anything.

[flying]

They went away for about 5-10 minutes and returned saying I must have paid with a 1000 Baht note and I am mistaken. So I said 'well, ok then', I picked up the 500 and left the rest as a tip.

I don't think the mistake would have been made by the waitress, they don't handle cash at all from what I understand, they just deliver the 'payment wallet' to the cashier, the mistake would have been made by the cashier.

If you were 100% sure you paid with a 500 TBH

Then you should have kept your 65 baht change & given the 500 baht to the waitress as a tip in front of the other. You could have said well if their giving away money today it may as well be you who receives it. Would have made her day/week/month

[sirineou]

Most shops use a calculator to do the simplest transactions. I don't think mathematics is one of their strong subjects here in Thailand...

I am afraid this is a problem in many places in the world.I Just came back ,no more than an hour ago from the store, here in the USA, I Had made a purchase that came to a total of $24.18, I gave the girl $30.00 and the girl input the a mound in the cash register, and the cash register told her to give me back $5.82, I did not want to have .82 cents in my pocket so I told the girl, wait let me give you a quarter (25 cent coin) which meant she will give me back $6.07 . she immediately got a blank look in her face and became nervous, I tried to explain to her the math behind my 25 cent addition but all i got was a blank stare, finally i took back my quarter, took my $5.82 change an came home, mumbling to my self all the way.

I am afraid technology has robed people of their ability to think.

[haveaniceday]

How many times I get a couple of 10 baht items, and out comes the calculator, 10 + 10 .........

Brain dead is all I can think of.

[travelmann]

Bought some gas once 900 baht and they gave me back 900 baht change out of a 1000 note, their problem, they should pay attention to their job instead of their friends/spots/phone/hair/anything that catches their eye. Maybe when its taken out of theri salary they might pay more attention but I doubt it.

[travelmann]

I was once given far too much money at a remote branch of Bangkok Bank. Being honest I tried to note the error that was greatly in my favor and was rewarded by anger as the loss of face created was more important than the money. I learned my lesson that time.

Precsisely, dont waste your time, they can blame the Farang later when your'e not there, those bad bad Farang I can just see it now

[lopburi3]

In OP case it will be the cashier who will have to make up the shortage.

I paid for a memory ram at Fortune last week and expected the cost to be 1450 baht (although there were others at a lower price listed). I paid 1500 and got back 550 baht and held it until receipt printed and confirmed price was 1450 and gave the 500 back saying I paid 1500. No cashier and salesmen was very appreciative.

[Loz]

You've heard of "Pay it forward", right?

[CheGuava]

Sometimes the correct thing to do in Thailand is to never openly suggest any Thai has made any mistake.

I would put this as: It's ALWAYS incorrect to grand-stand about a mistake that someone made especially in front of others. However to help a person prevent a mistake that will lead to his/her wages being cut will be thoroughly appreciated 100% of the time when done quietly and respectfully. Or jokingly, but happily thanking the person for the extra. (this will send out a better vibe than raising your eyebrows and voicing concern; the vibe is then negative in that case even though it's an mistake to your advantage).

Plus it's the right thing to do. A lot of Farang angst being blurted about in this topic. (By others, not Jingthing so much who is of course partially right; I would just rephrase a little)

Edited November 1, 2010 by CheGuava

[farang000999]

There is never any excuse for theft imho.

[Loz]

There is never any excuse for theft imho.

Without theft, there would be no Government.

governments take with intention to deprive permenantly, a goodly proportion of your money. But thats another thread..

I don't think its theft if you try and give it back and they flatly refuse. I had to convince a lady in Tesco that three of the same items couldn't cost 37bht. It was quite a test of my lingusitic ability but with a smile and a joke I pulled it off. three items at 37bht are more than 37bht and No three identical items could ever add up to 37bht anyway. (prime number).

[CheGuava]

There is never any excuse for theft imho.

Without theft, there would be no Government.

governments take with intention to deprive permenantly, a goodly proportion of your money. But thats another thread..

I don't think its theft if you try and give it back and they flatly refuse. I had to convince a lady in Tesco that three of the same items couldn't cost 37bht. It was quite a test of my lingusitic ability but with a smile and a joke I pulled it off. three items at 37bht are more than 37bht and No three identical items could ever add up to 37bht anyway. (prime number).

At this point it's probably good to note the difference between some Tesco barcoding / systems issue and a person making a mistake. If the Tesco system goes 'BEEP' and charges me less than what I thought then that's just fine with me. It's not my job to figure out if the amount is really lower and it was a labelling issue at the shelf, of what. I don't have time for that, and a mistake of this type won't come back to bite the cashier. If however the cashier gives me back too much money, then I don't want her to suffer for it.

[Loz]

but the cashier simply thought she'd swiped it three times when she'd only swiped it once. I was only buying the three items so I was a little surprised when she didn't wonder right away how three identical items could come to 37 bht, or that 37bht was cheap for three of said item.

reminds me of a scene from the tv series "The Wire". a school kid comes to his carer with a math question about people getting on and off a bus and how many were left at the end. the kid can't do it. Carer translates the figures into a drug deal scenario and kid gets it instantly. Then carer ask, how come you can do the count but not the math problem? kid replies,"If you get the count wrong, they <removed> you up". Carer (also a drug dealer) looks at the kid as if to say, "you've got a point".

[IanForbes]

When it happens to me I just give them the money. I don't want some poor Thai to get stuck with the loss... whether it's their error or not. I can afflord the loss... they can't.

[CheGuava]

but the cashier simply thought she'd swiped it three times when she'd only swiped it once.

Mmmm.. okay.. That's a little more clear-cut but still not a mistake that would come back to bite her. That will result in an inventory loss. Depending on my mood I may alert her to that.

I was only buying the three items so I was a little surprised when she didn't wonder right away how three identical items could come to 37 bht, or that 37bht was cheap for three of said item.

Being able to add two numbers is no longer a required skill to be a cashier. Never mind understand customers who start discussing prime numbers.

[saraburioz]

There is never any excuse for theft imho.

Yes there is. Many years ago I took a prostitute home from a Nana Plaza bar and she asked for 500 baht. I gave her 1000 and asked for the change - she did a runner. I went back to the bar a few weeks after and again she asked for 500 baht. That time, I gave her nothing.

Also, If I know a shop or restaurant has ripped me off, I'll give them less the next time.